Capacity Development of the Sindh Police (CDSP)
Geographical Focus: Sindh
Period of Intervention: December 2013 to November 2014
Partner: The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)
Project Summary
The capacity development of the Sindh Police (CDSP) Project aimed at supporting the Sindh Police to professionalize its services in dealing with the citizenry, the judiciary, and the government. Launched in December 2013, it proved to be a mass publicity and advocacy campaign comprising consultative meetings with politicians, police officers, journalists, legal experts, prosecutors, civil society representatives, and public representatives, from both the interior and the urban parts of Sindh. Besides these interactive meeting sessions, the CRSS also designed and aired a number of TV Talk Shows, and Radio Programs.
This campaign advocated for the revision of Police Laws of 1861, by engaging all stakeholders and media representatives. In view of the worsening security situation in Sindh, particularly due to the daily targeted killings, and increased extortion, the capacity building initiative was aimed at a dire need for a robust professional, effective and efficient police force, which in turn can help strengthen citizen trust in the police.
The campaign was designed to create awareness through interactions and media outreach for the demand for professional police services amongst general public. As part of the program activities, public meetings, conferences, and “Otaq”(public debate, complaints, and resolution forums) meetings were organized in Karachi and Larkana, primarily to identify problems and shortcomings of the Police Department. The campaign aimed to reach out to maximum areas and maximum people through radio and TV talk shows, seminar and conferences, print and social media, Television spots, brochures and mounted posters, and meetings with media. Major national and local newspapers of Sindh including daily Express, daily Nawa-e-waqt, daily NayiBaat, Jahan Pakistan, and daily Dunya were among the newspapers that gave wide coverage to the activities.
The CRSS was able to bring major issues into spot light, giving an opportunity to all stakeholders to talk about problems such as the challenges faced by the police as well as their solutions, role of media in policing, role of police in striving for Rule of Law, and how trust could be built between the police, the public, and other stakeholders. The campaign focused not only to promote the need and demand for a professional, effective and efficient police force for Sindh, but also to strengthen ties and trust between the citizens and the police.
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Support for Punjab Prosecution Service (SPPS)
Geographical Focus: Punjab
Period of Intervention: December 2013 to May 2014
Partner: The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)
Project Summary
Through the Support for Punjab prosecution Services (SPPS) project, the CRSS engaged in highlighting and creating mass awareness, capacity building, and organizational development of the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service (PCPS). This project aimed at developing and promoting an independent, efficient and effective prosecution service for the Punjab province. It grew out of the realization that the public at large must know its rights and responsibilities as envisaged in the Constitution.
Under the SPPS, through extensive research, advocacy, consultations with stakeholders, such as social rights experts, jurists and media campaigns, the CRSS took initiative to highlight the advantages and importance of an independently working prosecution service for the general public, both in the interior, and the urban Punjab. It also mobilized stakeholders, in particular media and civil society to support the development of an effective and efficient prosecution service, disseminated information to stakeholders and created mass awareness about important and relevant issues surrounding the prosecution service, and supported the development of a speedy and fair prosecution service.
The project helped to facilitate a series of interaction forums between police and judiciary to strengthen the prosecution service as an integral part of the Criminal Justice System. These interactions were carried out in the form of conferences, seminars, public meetings, and TV talk shows. Television spots, brochures, mounted posters. Newspaper columns in English and Urdu national dailies were also used for further sensitization of the issue and maximum outreach. The campaign was designed to reach out to all districts of the province including Mianwali, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur. Each exercise stressed upon different aspects of the objective through encouraging active dialogue on issues such as the importance of an independent prosecution service, the challenges faced by the prosecution service and role of different stakeholders, including media. Besides these interactive meeting sessions, the CRSS also designed and aired a number of TV Talk Shows, and Radio Programs.
The campaign has been effectively taken to the policy making level by engaging high level officers from concerned departments such as Prosecution Department and Human Rights Commission Pakistan.
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TESTIMONIALS
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"For the past nine years, I have been living in Pakistan. Being part of different youth initiatives here has allowed me to witness the incredible warmth and hospitality of the Pakistani people, and how they empathize with young Afghans like me. The Pak-Afghan Youth Peace Initiative by CRSS has helped me realize my potential as a youth and refugee leader. I'm determined to spread the messages of peace and friendship that I am taking away from this fellowship."